Fresno TV station, well-known anchor part ways. He also hosted local politics show
A member of the “only Armenian anchor team in the country,” as a Fresno television dubbed the pair, is off the air.
Anchor and television personality Alexan Balekian no longer works at KSEE 24.
The Fresno native represented half of the station’s Armenian anchor team, sharing the evening newscast desk with veteran journalist and longtime KSEE 24 anchor Stephanie Booroojian.
Balekian was last on air Feb. 18, and he’s since been removed from the KSEE 24 website. The reason for his departure is unclear.
When contacted by The Bee, Balekian declined comment but said he would have more to say later.
Balekian originally worked at KSEE 24 from 2004-2009, serving as a sports reporter and anchor.
He went on to transition to news and politics elsewhere before returning to Fresno in 2018. He initially served as a weekend anchor at KGPE, also known as CBS-47, which by then had merged with KSEE 24, the NBC affiliate, under the parent company Nexstar Media Group.
Balekian also worked as a news reporter for both stations then eventually became a weekday evening anchor.
And he hosted a weekly political show called “Sunday Morning Matters,” often bringing guests in studio to discuss local politics.
Though it was unclear if Balekian’s pairing with Booroojian boosted KSEE 24 ratings, the two certainly spurred Armenian pride in the central San Joaquin Valley.
In addition, Balekian often emceed events to help raise money for the Armenian community.
During a podcast interview last year, Balekian discussed the joys and responsibilities of representing the Armenian community alongside Booroojian. There are roughly 150,000 people of Armenian descent in the Valley, according to the Armenian Museum of Fresno.
“Being Armenian, obviously here from the Valley, we have a great sense of pride and honor to not only be on the anchor desk every single night,” Balekian said. “We represent a community where Armenians populated Fresno, and that means so much to us.
“I think we hold that in our hearts and on our sleeve every time we do a story about Armenia or Armenians in the Valley.”
